IBM Cognos 8

IBM Cognos 8 is a business intelligence application that assists users in making major business decisions. It works by creating data visualizations that enable users to identify performance issues so that they can apply the necessary corrective actions. This program users with visual and interactive data, allowing users to have a clear and concise view of business performance. It can generate past, present, and future views of the business operations and overall performance, so that management can capitalize on opportunities and understand the effects of certain decisions that affect interrelated factors.

IBM Cognos 8 provides users with a toolset for monitoring, scorecarding, analysis, and reporting. It is made up of several components, each designed to meet a particular requirement in a business. Some of these components are the following:
• Cognos Connection – this provides users with browser-based access to the features provided with the program suite. With this component, users can search content such as reports and publish these. As the Web portal for the program, it lets users create tasks, manage the server, and distribute results to different users.
• Event Studio – this functions as a notification tool that informs the user about events within their business. Notifications can be made via reports, publication in the Web portal, or through email.
• Report Studio – lets users make management reports. Users can choose from either the professional authoring mode or the express authoring mode.
• Query Studio – lets users make simple queries as well as self-service reports for business questions.